Top 100 Tracks Of 2017: 25-1

Continuation of the list started Tuesday: from 100-76, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. The middle sections can be found here: from 75-51 & 50-26. Soundcloud playlist here and at the bottom.

#25: M-City J.R. - Addicted To My Ex (Taylor Thomas x KGTO Remix)
Of all the remixes in this list, there is no original that I'd be less likely to listen to (save for "All Star," although I certainly did when it came out in 1999). That being said this is one of the top 10 remixes of the year. It combines the loco lyrics that made the original so strange yet alluring, with a brand new ballsy delivery. Whether you have an ex like this or not, you'll certainly be flexing those trap arms when the dope drops screech in. It is absolute madness, especially in the fantastic "aahh" samples.

#24: Caveman - Life Or Just Living (Lil Hank Remix)
(As featured on EFYE) No track in this list invokes as warm a feeling and sure smile as this one. It was my introduction to Lil Hank and while I love "Pupperino" and "A Young Puppo Is Born," it remains my favourite of the bunch. It features Hank's delightful drum delivery and playful warmth that can only come from such a good boy. You can always count on him pick you up at your worst moments, and that's exactly what this track does. It is so supremely buoying that it feels as though you're bounding weightlessly across the Sea of Tranquility. Yet it's not alien at all, it feels just like home.

#23: Sinjin Hawke - Monolith (Overture)
Album openings are tricky. I'm not a fan of innocuous intros that do or say nothing. And dropping the best track right from the get go isn't really appropriate either. Sinjin is able to avoid that issue, while seemingly confronting both flaws, head on. The orchestral warm-up sets up the explosive fire of the album, while giving way to the "Wolves" vocal sample. And while there's still another track from First Opus to come, this was certainly in the conversation for best track on the album. It features all the elements that make First Opus my album of the year. It is big and bold, yet sprightly and spirited. The way the drums and vocals work and play together is utterly intoxicating.

#22: Oliver - Go With It (ft. Chromeo)
Chromeo always stir up something deep inside, but maybe I just better leave the lyrics to them. I too "feel some type of way" when they play next to me, "and I'm not tryna hide it/.../and I'm not gonna fight it." Yes, I absolutely love this, but I suppose we're here for why. It is of course uber funky and fun, combining the electro grooves of Oliver and vivacious vocal play of Chromeo. Each iteration of the synths are strong and self-assured. No matter what kind of day you're having, you'll be strutting when this comes on, any annoyances or aggravations will roll right off your shoulder.

#21: Everything Everything - Night Of The Long Knives
Last summer I had the pleasure of taking in Everything Everything live and was immediately blown away. Jonathan Higgs' potent voice spun circles around my head both in spite of and because of the mystifying lyrics (see "No Reptiles"). This led to their album Get To Heaven becoming one of my all-time favs, I just couldn't get enough. When the follow-up, A Fever Dream, was released I spent the whole day listening to it on repeat, particularly this lead track. It has everything I'd come to love about Everything Everything, and more. Higgs' voice is even more powerful, the drums/guitar/bass even more magnificent, and the lyrics even more mystifying. Just try to play this a couple times without being swept up, joining in the with the singing. This Thanksgiving I was still riding so high on this track that I literally walked around the house all night singing "shame about your neighborhood."

Jessie Ware - Alone (Toddla T Remix)

Last week marked the premiere of Toddla T's remix of Jessie Ware "Alone," via Mistajam on BBC Radio 1Xtra. Before I even heard it, I knew it was going to be absolutely delightful, and sure enough it is. There are very few, if any, that have the range and emotional expressiveness of Jessie Ware, whose third album Glasshouse is due out this Friday. Ware's impressive and intoxicating vocals are on full display with this third single, "Alone," and they've only been amplified by Toddla T's demanding dancehall grooves. Part of what makes the original version of "Alone" so incredible is the layered use of Ware's wailing, and again that comes through in spades in this new mix. It's got a gospel feel that works wonderfully with Toddla T's guiding touch. The instrumental breathes life into a tired body, uplifting and energizing listeners to dance longer and more freely. It's so full of love and spirit that I cannot help but use it over and over again. While I'm not a religious person in the usual sense, I would however say that tracks like this are my religion, bringing me again to one of my favourite ideas, that music is the magic of everyday life. Stream/download this slice of magic from your favourite retailer here.FOLLOW TODDLA T: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Andrea Martin Sings "Magnet" Live

At the beginning of July, Toddla T dropped a masterful piece of production and vivacious vocal work. Of course I'm talking about his collab with Andrea Martin, "Magnet." From his album Foreign Light, it became an easy stand out for me, not just because of the righteous rave line, but because of the way it works with Andrea Martin's emotionally charged vocals. However, I've now realized that I can enjoy the track just as much when it's almost exclusively Andrea. How you ask? Press play and find out.

I cannot help but be starstruck by her incredible delivery. Everything about it screams perfection even though there is no such thing as perfection. She's clearly channeling something and it's absolutely striking to take in. I'm reminded of her track with Switch "I Still Love You," which if I remember correctly was touted as having been recorded in one take, in Switch's kitchen at that. That same raw emotion and feeling comes here in "Magnet," once again proving that baring it all, especially vocally, can result in absolute magic. Stream the original mix below and bask in the brilliance of Andrea Martin.
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Kideko & George Kwali ft. Nadia Rose & Sweetie Irie - Crank It (Woah!) [Toddla T & Coco Remix]

Turn your speakers up, then press play on the new Toddla T & Coco remix of Kideko and George Kwali's "Crank It, Woah!" Added to soundcloud for streaming early this morning via Ministry of Sound, the upbeat energetic mix takes the original and turns it up to 11. You'll be feeling the effects of this raucous remix pulsating from your heart through to the tips of your toes and fluttering through each hair follicle. The added vocals of Nadia Rose and Sweetie Irie take the original, instrumental version of "Crank It" and add the wow, or more appropriately woah, factor. As always Toddla T's production ups the intensity, with his inimitable cross breed of Caribbean, UK garage and grime vibes. And of course Toddla knows just how to build a track that supports the fire MC Coco spits. The two are truly a duo that can do no wrong.  Of all the iterations of "Crank It" this is my favourite, and surely succeeds in either getting listeners hyped to go out and party their face off, or send them spiraling back into rave relapse. As of now this particular version of "Crank It" is only available via souncloud above, so stream it there.

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Monday Mashed Up Mix #3

Each Monday I post a little mix of less than 30 minutes for your listening pleasure. It contains a variety of electronic music mixed and mashed up to varying degrees. The music is always first and foremost while DJing and mixing skills are meant to take a back seat. It includes some brand new stuff but also some forgotten gems and whatever it was that had entered my consciousness. I'll be hosting them on my Dropbox page for your listening and downloading pleasure, MONDAY MASHED UP MIX VOL 3. You can find the tracklisting and links for each track after the break...

Throwback Thursday: La Roux - Quicksand (Boy 8-Bit Remix) [Review]

This is the first in my TBT series, in which I'll review the most influential tracks from my past. What better place to start than with the most played track in my iTunes, my favourite track of all-time and arguably the most influential for me in many ways. Flashback to 2009 when I was still just learning about the vastness of the world electronic music (not yet called EDM). I had just returned to school after summer break, armed with a new secret weapon, Fake Blood; thanks to my guru who had shown me Fake Blood's killer remixes (Any Way You Choose To Give It, I Want Your Soul, Stuck On Repeat). I then showed my friends at school and we agreed to go see Fake Blood when he came to town. And unbelievably he was coming just a couple months later, with the biggest crew I've ever seen at Sound Academy; Aeroplane, Annie Mac, Boy 8-Bit, Calvin Harris, Fake Blood, Laidback Luke, Nero, Toddla T, and to top it off locals Zeds Dead and my boy Meech. Since it would be a waste to go only to see Fake Blood, I set out to familiarize myself with the rest of the lineup and the one that immediately caught my ear, was Boy 8-Bit. His combination of video game inspired sounds and progressive and playful electro style was everything I wanted in a producer. I was lucky enough to find a discography torrent, complete with a large number of mixes he had done for various radio shows. I was particularly enamored with the following video in which Annie Mac gives the first play to Boy 8-Bit's remix of La Roux, Quicksand.